The positive of being on a shitty team is that there's less pressure and probably many chances are given to players to work through their mistakes.

The positive of being on a good team is that the player is thrust into a positive, winning atmosphere and will likely develope better habits and work ethic. Hey the leash may be shorter, but development in a winning atmosphere would take a player further IMO.

I'd say it's most important for a rookie to end up on a team with a good coach.

but if i had to pick one, i'd say it's better to develope on a contending team.

If a player is worth anything does it really matter, outside of the fact that he should obviously prefer to win himself? But if he wants to develop into something, and he's got something to develop, then is there any excuse for not doing so? The only real problem I could see would be playing in a system that just doesn't fit with their skillset. That still shouldn't turn them into a bust or something.

That might be important with a borderline player. It might. But any player of any kind of solid value is going to develop, and they shouldn't stop developing at any point, no matter what the circumstances. There's no fairy dust or poison pill. Players need to put in the work, and they need to have some kind of veteran presence around them to help show them the way forward in terms of how the work can pay off. There is no formula for the instant gratification we all crave.

It can also depend on the individual player and how "NBA ready" he is.
Superstuds like Shaq and LeBron can enter the league and make an immediate difference in turning bad teams into better ones.
Underdeveloped kids or "projects" need the time to grow into men and work on their games. The best place to do so without the undue pressure of turning a shitty franchise around is in a winning environment, ie: Kobe.
DeRozan is in a tough position. Because the team has been sucking of late, everyone wants a savior to come along and save the day. Hence the VC comparison and similiar bullshit hype. The pressure should have eased off the kid quite a bit as Colangelo brought in player after player to bolster the roster this summer. They don't need DD to come in and put up 15+ and be that savior anymore. He can go back to being a 20 year old rookie and develop at a more realistic pace.

Kobe would have developed anywhere. Now look at Darko. Nice winning environment. Didn't help. Goes where he can get loads of minutes on a loser. No difference.

The only thing that changes is the way we might perceive a player's development or lack thereof. A player that doesn't deserve minutes but gets them out of necessity, is going to stand out, as is a player that is ready for the minutes, but is not going to be able to move past the players ahead of him in the rotation. But the guy that that proves to be capable isn't hampered anymore than the bust is helped by situations that don't quite suit them right off the bat. It's still on them to do everything they can. The resources are there no matter what.